


Bigger better faster stronger

by nottimagiche



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Fluff, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-05-14 23:56:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19283824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottimagiche/pseuds/nottimagiche
Summary: Just some post-season, post-UCL final, post-Nations League, post-LA/Ibiza, pre-season ramblings.





	Bigger better faster stronger

**Author's Note:**

> Just some post-season, post-UCL final, post-Nations League, post-LA/Ibiza, pre-season ramblings.

Dele looked at his Instagram feed again, at the smile, the teeth, the tanned skin.

They had promised not to message each other while on lads’ holidays, and honestly, they needed the break. But that didn’t stop Dele’s insides from twisting with a pang of longing looking at Eric’s smiling face on his screen.

Dele loved seeing the joy back in the blue eyes. No longer the dead stare and fake elation following the CL final, in fact he hoped the FA would destroy all the Nations League promo pics, with all their dead eyes and fake smiles, the final loss eating up the Spurs boys on the inside. Still difficult to let go of that loss, they’d been so close.

The World Cup had ruined him, Dele felt. The noise, the emotion, battling your wits and skills against the best, there was no going back from that. He desperately needed more of that, to be the best, to win, and they’d been so tantalisingly close, just to be kicked in the teeth again, slump down on the pitch again.

None of that next season, he swore. It was going to be bigger and better next year, he was going to be faster and stronger.

Dele put the phone down on the nightstand and turned to his side on the spacious bed. Plenty of room for Dier also, he smiled inwardly. He thought back to the trip to Mykonos, the best he’d ever had, either of them, after which they had decided not to take sunny shores together anymore because there’d be nothing to top that trip, those feelings, smiles, emotions, words. Instead they had opted to take sunny hols with their mates, take the time to regroup, refresh and definitely not spoil those nights in Mykonos. Those nights were still keeping them warm some two years later.

Only two years ago, Dele sighed. Seemed like a lifetime ago.

He thought back to the picture on Eric’s private IG, eyes smiling, a horrendous shirt unbuttoned enough to show sparse hairs on his tanned chest. Dele couldn’t wait to brush his fingers across those hairs again, making their appearance again after Eric’s end-of-season grooming frenzy.

Dele ran his fingers softly down his bare side on the bed, emulating Eric’s tender touch on his skin. Closing his eyes, he imagined Eric’s lips pressing down from behind to the curve of his waist, tongue slipping out to take a taste of the dark skin. Dele was sure he could feel the coarse hairs of Eric’s beard brushing against his side and a shiver ran up from his groin to his arms.

He couldn’t wait to get back home.

***

The drive to Eric’s new house still felt strange to Dele, the streets partially the same but the neighbourhood more upscale; the house larger but the style still distinctly Eric’s Scandi-minimalist. Dele still didn’t quite get the empty spaces, the white walls and the wooden furniture but it was the make of his lover, not him. He managed to feel moderately at home in the new surroundings and it was time for all things bigger and better.

He couldn’t wait for the pre-season to start. He needed to get back to training, to the pre-season trip to Asia, to hear the roar of the home crowd on August 10 and score as many goals he could, be the best he could and win, win win.

The title, win it

Euros, win it

Whatever cups might come before that, win ‘em all

He just needed Eric by his side to do it, otherwise it would mean nothing. And Eric needed to stop joking that the gaffer was ready to sell him.

The gaffer loved Eric. Perhaps not as much as in 2014-2015 but he still loved him.

The lads loved Eric. Some more than Dele was fully comfortable with but he knew his man was lovable. The backroom staff loved Eric, the canteen ladies loved Eric, the academy players loved Eric, the journalists loved Eric (well the man, not always the footballer).

Dele, he loved it all. He was just horrible at saying it.

***

Dele parked his car a safe distance away and made his stealth way to Eric’s door. He had returned from LA the day before, Eric from his a day prior. They hadn’t seen each other for seven days. Seemed like a lifetime.

Dele had a key but elected to ring the bell. His hands felt warm somehow, his pulse faster.

A moment passed before the door opened and Dele was greeted with the same sunny smile, the teeth, the tanned skin. Dele could feel his own face light up as he quickly moved inside the house, the front door was pressed shut behind him and in an instant he felt Eric’s warm body press him against the closed door. Eric brought his arms around Dele’s frame, in the all-encompassing way only he could hug another person.

No place he’d rather be, Dele thought as he breathed in the familiar smell of Eric’s skin and felt the beard brush against his cheek and ear.

“I missed you”, Eric spoke against Dele’s neck, Dele’s hands squeezing the tall frame tighter against his own. The words reverberated between their bodies, their contact stronger. Dele couldn’t put his emotions into words, instead he held on more tightly to Eric and listened as his pulse pounded against Eric’s broad chest. How could this be any better.

Eric could feel Dele’s strong grip and continued to hold his lover as they let their skins and cells reacquaint themselves, reconnect and return home.

“Te amo querido”, Eric whispered, almost inaudibly, against Dele’s skin, before the two slowly departed and looked at each other.

Eric could see everything in Dele’s eyes, the love brimming in the edges of the dark irises, a small smile playing in the corners of Dele’s lips. He usually tried not to force Dele to say anything when he could see everything but his heart was too full now.

“Say it”, Eric mouthed, a smile caressing his lips.

“Say what”, Dele mouthed in return, knowing full well what his lover was alluding to.

Eric snorted softly and pressed his lips firmly against Dele’s, the moist contact much welcomed after such a long absence.

“Tell me…” Eric spoke against Dele’s lips. He didn’t need the words but he needed them.

Dele rested his forehead against Eric’s. He was so bad at this, he was embarrassed by it. In any other circumstance, on the training pitch, in his IG posts, he had no trouble saying it, writing it… but with his lover in his arms, it was always so overwhelming the words just didn’t seem enough, not for what he was feeling.

“I’m feeling… things”, Dele sighed, partly in jest, partly in earnest, and he knew the man in his arms knew his struggle.

“What are you feeling?” Eric probed gently, the perpetual smile still dancing across his lips.

“Things”, Dele repeated, causing Eric to snort again.

“What kind of things?”

Dele swallowed empty under the gentle scrutiny of his lover, the heat between their connected bodies building around his insides. “…strong things”, he sighed.

Eric raised his hand to brush against Dele’s cheek and the younger man instinctively leaned into the palm.

“Can you use some different words?” Eric brought his other hand to hold Dele’s face gently and leaned in to place a soft kiss on Dele’s

forehead,

nose,

the corner of his mouth,

before leaning back and seeing his everything standing still with his eyes closed, revelling in the feel of lips against his skin.

Missing the contact, Dele opened his eyes and sighed slowly. “I’m so crazy about you I have no words.”

A wave of emotion washed over Eric and he felt moisture pool in his eyes.

“You know this, right?” Dele asked softly and saw Eric nod.

“You are my everything”, Dele sighed again. “I wish I could say it better but you know I’m bad at this, the words.”

Eric nodded again. “I know, love.”

Spurred on by the moment, Dele continued. “I love you so much it makes no sense.”

Eric broke out into a wide smile and slowly shook his head at the miraculous man in front of him. “Now I’ve no words”, he smiled and brought Dele’s hand to his mouth to press a kiss inside the palm. “But it’s good to hear the words again, Del”, Eric smiled, “I was beginning to think you were getting physically unable to say them.”

“Don’t be an idiot”, Dele scoffed and rolled his eyes, with a smile soon returning to his lips. “Physically unable? You’re having a laugh, there’s nothing I’m physically unable of.”

“Right”, Eric retorted. "Your hammy might disagree—”

“—In LA, every day at the gym I was, every day sending in my food diary to Hannah, did you send in yours, eh, did you log in all your beers with the lads, eh?” Dele fake-ranted with a smile, with Eric’s turn to roll his eyes. The two moved further inside the house.

“Having said that…” Dele spoke behind Eric as they moved to the living room. “Did you bring me Spanish candy?”

“No, ‘cos you said you’re not eating sweets now.”

“Did you buy some for yourself?”

“Yes, I’m not an idiot, Del.”

Dele moved in front of Eric to stop their movement. “You know sharing is caring, right?”

“Oh my God”, Eric sighed.

The two sat down on Eric’s large grey sofa. Dele played with Eric’s fingers, lacing them with his own and tracing each with the tips of his own. “When are you leaving for Portugal?”

“Two days.”

“Can I have you for two days?” Dele asked more quietly than he intended.

“I’m all yours”, Eric replied, his tone also more than the words relayed.

“You know”, Dele attempted to lighten the mood, “I’ve been thinking next season the club will be bigger, we’ll be better, I'll be faster and you'll be stronger, eh? It has a nice ring to it, right?”

Eric laughed. “I think it should be I’ll be faster and you’ll be stronger, that way we’ll have a fighting chance.”

“Right”, Dele replied, “you might have a point. So are we using your gym today or what?”

“I’ve already had a workout this morning, don’t know about you.”

“Maybe we could…” Dele wiggled his eyebrows, “have a different kind of workout first?”

Eric shook his head. “You know it doesn’t kill you to just say, let’s have sex, yeah?”

Dele blushed slightly. “You want to?”

“I haven’t touched you in seven days, Del, yes I want to.” Eric started to pull his t-shirt over his head.

“Listen…” Dele touched Eric’s forearm. “Can we do that thing… where you’re behind me and you kiss my side and waist… and I can feel your beard on my skin?” he spoke quietly, his fingers tracing the hairs on Eric’s arm.

Eric looked softly at Dele. “I love doing that.”

Dele smiled.

He loved it all.

 

_\- Fin -_

 


End file.
